WINNIPEG — Shortly before The Catch, there was The Catch.
A leaping, 21-yard reception by Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Dohnte Meyers was followed by a three-yard, game-winning grab by Tommy Nield in the CFL’s Western Final last Saturday at a sold-out Mosaic Stadium.
Nield scored with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter to propel Saskatchewan to a 24-21 victory over the B.C. Lions — and a berth in Sunday’s championship game against the Montreal Alouettes.
Leading up to the 112th Grey Cup Game, Meyers was delighted to discuss back-to-back highlight-reel plays that capped the Roughriders’ comeback.
“When I heard the play call, I knew Tommy was going to get the ball,” recalled Meyers, referencing a quick slant pattern from left to right, two yards inside the goal line. “I was on the front side of the play, so I knew the catch was going to happen behind me.
“When we were watching the film with the guys, I told them, ‘Look at me right here,’ because when I saw him catch it, I jumped up. It was like in the Rocky movie. It was the best thing I could have turned around and seen.”
Meyers had a much better view of the previous play — a spectacular catch he made despite being surrounded by a handful of Lions defenders who were in deep zone coverage.
“It’s ‘see ball, get ball,’ ” he said. “It’s one of those plays that you thrive off making, building on the other ones.
“That play, it was my turn. Before that, it was Sam Emilus’s turn and A.J. Ouellette’s turn. Trevor’s back there throwing the ball behind the O-line. The next play after mine was Tommy’s touchdown.
“It was just my turn. The next play, it’s going to be somebody else’s turn. When it’s up there, you’ve got a responsibility.
“All those plays work together in unison to score one touchdown for this one team.”
The common denominator was Harris, who led a seven-play, 76-yard drive that consumed just 52 seconds.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for his talent,” said Meyers, whose own talents produced 65 catches, 1,056 yards and a team-high eight aerial TDs in 15 regular-season games.
“He performs well statistically. He makes the right reads. He has pocket presence. But they don’t give him enough credit for his touch.”
The kind of touch that allowed him to find Meyers, who was greatly outnumbered, for the Roughriders’ penultimate pivotal play.
The kind of touch that enabled Harris to somehow thread the football between four Lions defenders and hit Kian Schaffer-Baker in stride for a 25-yard advance that set up Saskatchewan’s first touchdown.
That kind of touch.
“He’s a hell of a quarterback,” Meyers continued. “He has made those plays and he made that (climactic) drive happen. We leaned on him and he leaned on us.
“He’s the man. I’m a fan, man. I know he’s my quarterback, but I’m a fan — a serious fan.”